rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
grown in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, some other parts of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, and has a small ovular grain, compared to the long grain of
basmati rice
Basmati () is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which originates from the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the regions of Nepal, Punjab, Haryana, Sindh and many other states and provinces of India and Pakistan.caloric value.
All Samba rice grain is harvested locally by the mallas of India and there are many sub-varieties ranging in grain size and price. Seeraga Samba is the most expensive sub-variety and has the finest grain. It is approximately a third the size of a grain of basmati rice.
Cultivation
Samba rice is grown extensively in the
South Indian
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
state of Tamil Nadu. Rice grown in Samba season (August through January) is referred to as Samba rice. This rice is grown for a longer duration compared to other types of rice.
A subvariety of the Samba, known as the ''Seeraga Samba'' or ''Jeera Samba'' (in , which means '
Cumin
Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole ...
samba', due to its resemblance to cumin seeds), is popular for consumption in south-east India. It is exclusively cultivated along the
Cauvery
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna.
The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...
river and peculiarly in its
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
Nagapattinam district
Nagapattinam District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district ...
Tiruchirappalli district
Tiruchirappalli District is one of the 38 districts, located along the Kaveri River, in Tamil Nadu, India. The headquarters of the district is the city of Tiruchirappalli.
During the British Raj, the district was referred to as Trichinopoly, ...
and in various areas of
Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur (Tanjore) . The district is located in the delta of the Cauv ...
. This subvariety was presented in 2018 by an association of farmers to benefit of a
geographical indication
A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town or region). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, is inten ...
(GI tag), the request is currently being processed.
List of rice varieties
This is a list of rice cultivars, also known as rice varieties. There are several species of grain called rice. Oryza sativa, Asian rice (''Oryza sativa)'' is most widely known and most widely grown, with two major subspecies (''indica'' and ''jap ...